


On My Way

by Seeking7



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda (Video Game 1986)
Genre: Fluff, He's a happy lad and he loves his friends, Hyrule (Linked Universe)-centric, Hyrule loves his kingdom even though it's broken, It's all fluff, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Lots of Christmas vibes too, Pre-Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28289748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7/pseuds/Seeking7
Summary: Hyrule spends a winter evening with some old friends from his first quest, relishing all the wonderful things that come with home and a kingdom on the path to healing.++++An (extremely late) birthday gift for the wonderful Liccy! This fic is 100% based off her wonderful artwork of Hyrule with a bunch of his old friends.
Relationships: Hyrule/Link & The Merchant, Hyrule/Link & The Moblin, Hyrule/Link & The Old Man, Hyrule/Link & The Old Woman
Comments: 11
Kudos: 31





	On My Way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [liccy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liccy/gifts).



> Hello, there! I hope you enjoy this small, little fic about Hyrule enjoying some time with his old friends. This piece is based off of a wonderful piece of artwork Liccy did, which you can find here! (https://liccy.tumblr.com/post/622852688666820608) It was actually the piece of artwork that started our friendship, as I tagged her on LU Main a while back to let her know how much I enjoyed it. It still remains one of my favorite pieces of LU art, and it’s grown to become very special to me. I thought it would be fun to immortalize this very beautiful piece of art in fic form -- I don’t think I did it justice, but I tried my best! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Snow was a very strange thing. 

Link watched it fall from the purple sky above and blanket the path before him. His freckles stood out in greater relief against the rosy flush of his face, and the hero smiled as ivory fluff crunched beneath his feet. A world criss-crossed with scars and a mournful history sighed with relief as it received heaven’s blessing, and, for a moment, everything was pure again. 

A chill skittered up Link’s spine. He glanced at the velvet coat folded uselessly in the crook of his arm, embroidered with the crest of the Royal Family and miscellaneous symbols that denoted him as the Hero of Hyrule. For a brief moment, he considered putting it on. 

A snowflake drifted before his eyes and landed on the tip of his nose. 

Link decided that he didn’t need to. 

How could he enjoy the snow if he was too swaddled in tunics and jackets to even experience it? 

Face alight with this epiphany, Link walked along with childish confidence in each step. His footsteps shone in the snow behind him. They were uneven, clipped, distracted, and covered in snow -- just like him. As his path took him further from the North Palace and closer to Ruto Town, Link marveled at the scene before him. Snow capped mountains and cold-resistant coneflowers rose up before him. Lilies of the valleys sprouted from stony cliffs like living snowflakes, their mellow fragrance overpowered by hardy, lilac fingers of catmint growing along the side of the road. Patches of snow lurked in shady spots the sun had not shined upon that day, dotted with footprints of small creatures. Every now and then, Link would pass an empty cave bored into a mountain face. He couldn’t help but smile and thank the goddesses that the denizens of Hyrule no longer had to live in such miserable places. 

Perhaps the defeat of Ganon had placed an everlasting bounty on his head, but it had given the next generations of Hylians a chance at living a safe and happy life. 

Link smiled. 

The flurries of snow before him cleared, and the backlit silhouette of Ruto Town flickered in the distance. Tendrils of chimney smoke curled into the air, dancing with melted snow and the cloudy exhales of an entire village. Link's pace picked up. His eyes smarted as he sprinted forward, the fingers swelled, and the skin of his neck pebbled with goosebumps. The coat fluttered from his arm. He blinked back the water dripping down his face and tried to calm his beating heart as he entered the town. 

Giddiness turned to awe as he took stock of the village around him. Slightly soggy paper lanterns hung from laundry lines and flag poles, their misshapen forms betraying the tender age of their creators. Braided wreaths of purple ferns and blue spruce trees hung from porches. A handful of children dashed through the streets, their faces red from the cold and the vigorous washing that came with the anticipation of grand, public holidays. Frozen bubbles dangled like glass ornaments from trees and dangled from roof overhangs. Snow crystals in the shape of ivory leaves shone from within, and Link failed to stifle an awed exhale as the last rays of sunlight glinted off the iridescent membranes. 

Crowds of children trailed after him as he walked through the street, and adults of all walks of life opened their windows to wish their hero a good day, good week, and a happy new year. He smiled and flushed before remembering that he was supposed to wave in acknowledgement, yet no one seemed to mind his social faux-pas. 

"Oi, Link!" a familiar voice called. Hurried, heavy steps crunched in the snow behind him, and Link nearly kneeled over when the voice’s owner clapped him on the back. He wiped away a half-melted snowflake from his nose and turned to face the figure, freezing when he recognized the maroonish hair and mischievous smile of the merchant. Their few interactions during Link's first quest had been curt and slightly rude, but the years following the reawakening of Queen Zelda and the return of peace to Hyrule had given the two a chance to grow closer. 

"I thought you weren't going to come!" the merchant exclaimed. 

"I didn't know I was coming until two hours ago, either," Link replied, his voice rusty with disuse but still crackling with warmth. "I was with the princess when I received the invitation, and I only got to read it because I had some free time after lunch. Thank the goddesses I did! But I didn't know you would be joining us." 

The merchant smiled and winked as the two made their way to the tavern. "And miss free drinks? Not for the world." 

Golden light spilled from the building's windows, illuminating the drifting snowflakes as the two stepped onto the porch and knocked on the door. 

"Oh, they're free?" 

"Only if we manage to get the moblin drunk enough to pay for everyone's drinks." 

"I heard that." 

Link and the merchant froze. The tavern door creaked open, and the light pouring from within bent around an all too familiar silhouette. 

"Do you really think my generosity is so shallow it needs to be goaded on by alcohol?" the moblin asked, his face cracking into an easy-mannered grin. The merchant let out a dramatic sigh of relief and Link burst into laughter. The frozen bubbles dangling from the sky above shivered from the sound. Link, the merchant and the moblin shared a few friendly swears as the trio stepped inside the tavern, passing around good-natured insults like trading cards. The chapped skin of the hero's cheeks pulled upward into a smile. A moblin and a Hylian -- two beings from two walks of life as different as possible, and yet even their differences did nothing to stifle the waters of friendship. 

The snow fell harder, and all was well in the land of Hyrule. 

With a bang, the tavern door shut behind them. Warmth effervesced from the wood floor and melted the snow clinging to the hairs of Link's legs and arms. The merchant hung up his coat on a rack and the moblin said something about drinks and things being on the house as the three of them walked towards the bar. A music box played atop the fireplace mantle. Clattering utensils echoed from the backroom, and a figure backlit by the fire peered out from a doorway behind the bar. 

"Hero of Hyrule, what in the name of Queen and Princess Zelda are you wearing?" a taut, feminine voice questioned. 

For the second time that day, Link froze. 

"Uh...my tunic...and my boots..." 

The silhouette stepped forward into the light. Link grinned like the happy fool he was when the old woman came into view, her eyes just as bright as determined as they had been the first time they met nearly half a decade ago. A wave of nostalgia for worse, warmer days skittered around Link's heart -- only to be immediately cut off by the woman's questioning. 

"And what exactly is that in your arms?" 

Link looked down at his jacket and fiddled anxiously with the gold thread embroidery. 

"...my coat..." 

"And why aren't you wearing it?"

Link opened his mouth and closed it again. His earlier rationalization had seemed ironclad to him at the moment, but as the words rolled around in his head, he realized that they were convincing to no one but him. The merchant clapped him on the back. The moblin snickered, whispering in a low voice that Link was really in for it now. 

"Go warm yourself, boy, before the old lady crucifies you," a fourth voice said. All eyes snapped to the figure that had just entered the tavern, and Link let out a verbal exhale of elation as recognition swept over him. The old man, the one who had given him his first sword and first words of wisdom to face the world of Hyrule with, winked back at him and patted him on the back. A snap of wrinkled fingers magically brought the fireplace to life, and the old man urged him to take a seat by the fire. 

Link did as told, sitting gingerly by the fireplace and shivering with delight as warmth washed over his stinging limbs. Voices and the pouring of drinks echoed behind him. Glass scratched against wood and laughter grated against good-natured quips. The fire flickered red and blue and white, burning eagerly through the frosted logs it had been fed. Chunks of ash lay like snow beneath the wood. Flakes of frost melted off Link's lashes and dripped down his face. The lullaby of familiar chatter wrapped like a mother's arms around the hero, and his heartbeat slowed. 

It hurt to smile with cheeks crisscrossed with scars and snow burns, but Link did it anyway. 

A few more moments passed with Link huddled by the fire. He marveled at the paper lanterns strung from the ceiling and the gold tinsel wrapped around the hanging wire. Ancient incantations were written upon each lantern in swooping, calligraphic letters, and Link knew beyond a doubt that the lanterns were the old man’s handiwork. 

"Oi, Link! You're gonna roast yourself like one of those big turkeys they make during harvest seasons. Come take a seat with us!" 

Relenting to the logic of the merchant's exhortation, Link stood up and walked over to the bar. The barstool squeaked beneath him as he took a seat, and the old woman slid a mug of beer across the table for him. The old man sipped his drink quietly as the merchant cracked jokes and the moblin responded to each one with riotous laughter and the occasional swear. With a fondness gleaming in eyes that had seen more pain than joy, the old woman watched the antics of the men before her. 

"So, Link," the merchant said, prodding the young hero on the shoulder, "when are you planning to marry the princess?" 

Link flushed. The old woman laughed. 

"Don't take too long," the old man added, "I want to be a grandfather before I die." 

"You're not even his dad!" the moblin exclaimed. 

The old man bobbed his head noncommittally and ran his finger across the rim of his drink. "I'm his dad in spirit." 

"Oh, that's a thing you can do?" the moblin asked. "Well, then, I'm his dad too." 

"Me three," the merchant supplied. 

"And I'm everyone's babysitter," the old woman remarked, eyes half-closed in dramatized exhaustion. A titter echoed through the assemblage of world-weary warriors. Link tried to cool the crimson blush on his cheeks with the back of his hand, only to be poked in the shoulder once again by the merchant. 

"Now Link," the merchant continued, "for the sake of your poor old dad, go get married to the princess as soon as possible so I can live in that nice pretty castle with you." The moblin and old man muttered in agreement as Link hid his face in his hands. The merchant ruffled his hair and the old woman rapped her knuckles on the table. 

"You boys are going to make him die of embarrassment before the sun even comes up!" 

Another round of laughter. The fire burned brighter, and the froth atop Link's mug of beer winked playfully at him. Conversation meandered back and forth, bouncing between the subjects of politics, reconstruction initiatives, and the new tailor that lived down the street. A passionate debate over complementary colors and their apparently hypothetical existence sprung up between the old man, woman, and merchant. Both Link and the moblin found themselves strangely disconnected from the aesthetic-centric conversation and, with a gentle nudge, the moblin lowered his voice and whispered in Link's ear. 

"Check it out, Link, I painted all these rupees different colors." 

The moblin placed a tweed sack of rupees on the table and picked out one from the top of the pile. The acrylic paint shone strangely against the firelight, and Link grinned at his friend's ingenuity. 

"Infinite money," the hero whispered. The moblin mumbled in happy agreement. 

"I'm pretty sure that's called fraud," the old woman said. She appeared to be markedly less impressed with the moblin's antics, and both Link and the moblin flushed at her reprimand. Tension sparkled in the air and dissolved immediately upon the merchant's heartwarming, familiar laughter. Even the old man chuckled to himself. Perhaps there had once been a time where such a prank would be seen as far more serious of a thing, but those times were gone, and they all had the luxury at laughing at their instinctive seriousness.

Conversation resumed. Link's focus drifted to the tavern windows, where golden snowflakes fluttered down from heaven. Children's laughter echoed off elegant icicles and misshapen snowmen. Frozen bubbles gleamed in the low tavern light, the promise of all things fleeting, beautiful, and magnificent reflected in their frosted smiles. 

Link smiled again, his scars and wounds glistening with a thin veneer of snow and sweat, and the vagrant loneliness wrapped around his heart began to dissolve. 

Yes, it was dangerous to go alone. 

But no one was alone forever. 

The snow fell harder, and everything was truly and completely well in the kingdom of Hyrule.    
  


**Author's Note:**

> And that’s a wrap. If you read all the way here, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your time! I really hope you enjoyed the story! Also, I’m assuming that if you’re reading this story, you’re a fan of Jojo’s awesome Legend of Zelda AU, Linked Universe. If that’s the case, I must respectfully suggest that you follow Liccy on instagram (@rykias) and/or tumblr (liccy.tumblr.com). Her art is absolutely beautiful, and she’s such a wonderful person to be around. 
> 
> And Liccy, if you’re reading this, I wanted to wish you an extremely belated birthday, happy holidays, and a happy new year!! The last two wishes extend to everyone reading this (and the first as well, if your birthday happened to be in the past few months, haha!). Please take care, and have a wonderful day!


End file.
